New England Patriots: Team Grades for AFC Championship Game
By Nick Ziegler
Passing Offense:
The story of the game for the Patriots was certainly their passing offense. After a somewhat poor performance by their standards against the Houston Texans, the passing offense was really sharp against the Steelers.
As always, Tom Brady led the way for the passing offense. In the win, he was able to total 384 passing yards, three touchdown passes, and zero turnovers. After being somewhat harassed by the Texans’ pressure in the AFC Divisional Round, the Patriots did a much better job protecting Brady. Against the Steelers, Brady was sacked twice, and the pocket was rather clean throughout the game.
The big game from Brady also resulted in big games for his wide receivers. Chris Hogan led the way for the Patriots with nine receptions, 180 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. It was without a doubt the best game of the year for Hogan, and the best in his career so far. In addition to Hogan, Julian Edelman was also able to total over 100 receiving yards. Edelman has continued to be a favorite target of Brady, and he always seems to make a big catch when the Patriots need it. Overall, it was an outstanding game for the passing offense.